Robert Tait Little (RTL) was Head Shepherd on Exmoor throughout the latter half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. He was employed by Frederick Knight to oversee the movement and settling in of Scottish sheep and shepherds from the Scottish Borders down to Exmoor. RTL arrived at Duredon Farm near Simonsbath on July 16th, 1871 and was joined, at a slightly later date, by Jane and their two sons Robert and John. The photo below is of Robert and his wife Jane and is thanks to Roger A Burton author of ‘The Heritage of Exmoor.’
RTL is remembered as an intelligent and diligent diary writer – ‘stock diaries’ traditionally kept by Head Shepherds recording the number of sheep on each herding they were responsible for, the numbers of lamb born each year, sheep sold in market, sheep that went ‘amissing’ etc. But RTL’s stock diaries are a little bit special as he also recorded little notes or details of the various shepherd’s lives – their arrival and departure dates on Exmoor for example – as well as his thoughts on politics, on ‘modern’ sheep farming – including building stells to protect sheep in winter – about the weather and the cost and timings of catching a train from South Molton to Dumfries.
As a consequence, Robert Tait Little has provided The Friends with a unique insight into life on the Exmoor herdings generally as well as of like at Hoar Oak Cottage specifically from the 1870s to early 1900s. There have been several occasions where a key piece of information recorded in his diaries has opened the lock on a mystery to do with the story of one of the Hoar Oak shepherds, his family or what was happening on Exmoor. A good example can be found on this webpage which tells the story of Scottish Shepherd John Renwick and his wife Helen and children. Renwick – hoaroak (hoaroakcottage.org)
And here’s an example of how RTL’s notes in his stock diaries helps bring alive a return journey from Exmoor to Scotland and back again from Exmoor. The abstract and transcription below is from his 1879 diary. We know from elsewhere he was making the journey to try and say goodbye to his dying mother. Sadly, he didn’t make it in time.
1879
January 29 left Exmoor for a visit to Scotland. I left Dumfries to return to Exmoor Feb 3rd with the 7PM train arrived at South Molton ¼ before 10 Tuesday morning Feb 4th.
Left South Molton with the 4PM train arrived at Dumfries at 6AM Jan 3rd.
Railway Fair (sic) South Molton to Dumfries £ 1.11.8
January 29th left Exmoor for Dumfries. Feb 3rd Came back to Exmoor.
Robert Little.
It is interesting that Robert signs this entry – perhaps it was used to show his boss that he’d gone to Scotland, how long he was away for and what it cost. The fare – £1 11shillings and 8pence – is equivalent in today’s money to around £105.
The diaries were discovered by The Friends genealogist and trustee Nicky Rowberry whilst researching in the Devon Archive in Exeter. Uncatalogued and in a box with several other items Nicky quickly realised their value and importance. The Friends were lucky to be supported by the Devon Family History Society in Exeter who digitised all of the diaries and to the North Devon Voluntary Centre who found volunteers to transcribe the diaries. All of those digital surrogates and transcriptions are now safely in The Friends Archive. There were four diaries in the Devon Archive but we were aware there had been, originally, five diaries.
In 2013, The Friends of Hoar Oak Cottage were contacted by two descendants of Robert Tait Little – his granddaughter Hilda Lawrence and his great granddaughter, Jill Venus. Both had read The Friends ‘shout out’ in the North Devon Journal in 2013 asking for information about the Little family on Exmoor. Not only were Jill and Hilda generous in sharing their own family research, stories and memories about Robert Tait Little but they held the precious fifth diary as a precious family heirloom. Jill and husband Richard (photo below left) have been generous supporters of The Friends as has Hilda (below right) who is known to many as ‘Aunty Hilda’ – a sprightly, bright and fun 96 year old. With Jill and Hilda’s help the story of Robert Tait Little’s life has been captured.
- Robert Tait Little was born in 1842 at Shaws near Kirkmahoe, Dumfrieshire in Scotland.
- By 1851, he was living in Watchhill, Lochmaben and, as would be expected at the age of 9, was listed on the census as a scholar.
- In the 1861 census, RTL is found living with his uncle at Pennylands, Kirkmahoe and working as a shepherd.
- Also listed in the household is Jean (Jane) Corrie who, in 1862, had a baby son named on its birth certificate as Robert Corrie and illegitimate.
- However, when RTL and Jane married on the 9th of October 1866 in Pennyland, baby Robert took his father’s surname. In April 1867, RTL and Jane had another son, John, who died in infancy and in 1869, they had another son who survived and was also called John.
- In 1869 the RTL family were living at Ryemuir Cottage, Torthorwald, Kirkmahoe. RTL’s father, John, had died at Ryemuir Cottage in 1867 so it is likely the couple were living with his father at the time.
- The 1871 census shows the family at Stepends Cottage, Closeburn near Kirkmahoe and the family as they are listed in the census includes Robert Little, Jane, Robert and John (known as Jack).
- Soon after, the family left for North Devon.
In the tradition of Exmoor at the time it is possible that Robert Tait Little took on the tenancy of Duredon Farm* as well as the job of Head Shepherd for Frederick Knight. Or it could be that Duredon was the farm attached to the job of Head Shepherd. Duredon Farm was one of the original five farms built by John Knight and more can be read about it in The Exmoor Historic Environment Record link MEM23060 – Duredon Farm – The Historic Environment Record for Exmoor National Park (exmoorher.co.uk) Nowadays Duredon is available to hire for private parties of up to 16 people. Duredon Farm, Simonsbath | Part of the Exmoor Forest Estate
- In the 1881 census, the family are still at Duredon and includes two more children – Ellen and Thomas.
- In the 1891 census, the family are still at Duredon but the eldest son Robert has gone, having migrated to Australia around 1887/8. Ref: Roger Burton (1989) The Heritage of Exmoor.
- In 1901, the census tells us that RTL and Jane were still at Duredon with son Thomas but their older son John is listed in the 1901 census as living at South Radworthy Farm and working as a horseman. John married Alice Maud Mary Boucher and had a child, Thomas Little.
In the mid-1900s, probably around 1905, RTL and Jane moved to Limecombe Farm – a much smaller and poorer property than Duredon but RTL seems to have still been working, and writing his diary, as an employee of the Fortescue family who, by then, owned the Exmoor Estate. More on Limecombe’s historic record can be read here MEM23855 – Limecombe Cottages – The Historic Environment Record for Exmoor National Park (exmoorher.co.uk) and it can, today, be rented as a holiday let – more on this link Limecombe Cottage – Holiday accommodation in the heart of Exmoor (holidaycottageexmoor.co.uk)
The last known photograph of Robert Tait Little is the one below which records the shepherds with Lady Fortescue at the time of the 1905 sheep shearing. RTL stands proud and be whiskered in the centre of the back row, surrounded by many of his Scottish shepherds who had joined him on Exmoor.
RTL died on the 19th of September 1907, aged 65, of bowel cancer and heart failure. He had been sent to St Thomas’s Hospital in London for an operation to hopefully cure his cancer – we understand through the generosity of his employers the Fortescues of Castle Hill – but he died 6 hours after an operation. His death certificate records him as the Shepherd of Limecombe and his daughter Ellen McDougall from Westgate, Exmoor was with him. ‘Aunty Hilda’ (above) recalls that after his death in London, RTL was brought by train back to South Molton and his body was put in the Estate Office in Simonsbath overnight. Locals were astonished the next morning to find his sheepdogs had made their way from Limecombe to Simonsbath and were sitting outside of the Estate Office. Of course, we will never know if they were simply waiting for their master to come home or somehow knew that they were keeping watch over his body. What we do know is that the bond between shepherd and sheepdog is a strong one and this tale of RTL’s dogs only goes to prove how true that is. Robert Tait Little is buried in Simonsbath Churchyard – headstone below – with his wife Jane, who lived on another ten years.
If you are interested in finding out more about Robert Tait Little, perhaps have information to share or would like to see the digital surrogates and transcriptions of his intriguing Stock Diaries feel free to email info@hoaroakcottage.org.